PIA Press Release2006/10/18

Gov’t seeks int’l, private sector aid for ‘Milenyo’ relief

Quezon City (18 October) -- The government has asked the international community and the private sector to fund the P6 billion-peso rehabilitation of areas devastated by typhoon "Milenyo" (international codename: Xangsane), officials said.

The storm, which ravaged Metro Manila and the eastern portion of the country in late September, damaged P4.9 billion worth of agriculture, P1.9 billion worth of infrastructure, and P555 million worth of school buildings, said Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr., concurrent chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).

"For this reason, the Philippine government is appealing once again for international assistance," Cruz said in a letter to the UnitedNations Development Program (UNDP).

In an interview, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Glen Rabonza explained that the government has used up what was left of this year's P700 million-peso calamity fund for rescue and relief efforts.

"Rehabilitation is different, we have to rebuild homes and schools," he said. (PIA) [top]